{{Short description|Public high school in Florida, United States}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox school | name = Gaither High School | image = Ghs1.jpg | logo = File:Gaither High School logo.png | motto = "Commitment to Excellence" | address = 16200 North Dale Mabry Highway | city = Tampa | state = Florida | zipcode = 33618 | country = U.S. | coordinates = {{Coord|28.1030709|-82.5039843|display=title,inline|format=dms}} | established = 1984 | district = Hillsborough County Public Schools | type = Public high school | superintendent = Van Ayers | principal = Dr. Jeremy D. Klein | ratio = 21.31<ref name=NCES/> | teaching_staff = 97.50 (FTE)<ref name=NCES/> | enrollment = 2,078 (2023-2024)<ref name=NCES>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=1200870&SchoolPageNum=8&ID=120087002437|title=GAITHER HIGH SCHOOL|publisher=National Center for Education Statistics|access-date=January 2, 2025}}</ref> | grades = 9–12 | enrollment_as_of = | nickname = Cowboys | colors = Silver, white, and blue<br>{{color box|silver}} {{color box|white}} {{color box|navy}} | rival = Steinbrenner High School | newspaper = The Pony Express | yearbook = Silver Star | feeder_schools = Ben Hill Middle School, Buchanan Middle School, Walker Middle School | website = {{URL|https://www.hillsboroughschools.org/o/gaither}} }}
'''Gaither High School''' is a public high school located in the Northdale area of Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. It opened in 1984 and is located on 16200 North Dale Mabry Highway. Bloomingdale High School in Valrico, Florida, was built around the same time and has the same architectural design.
The school serves the communities of Northdale, Carrollwood Village, Lake Magdalene, and other parts of northern Hillsborough County, such as Avila and parts of southern Lutz.
==History and traditions== When Gaither first opened up its doors in 1984–85, seniors were not in attendance, and the school served only 9th–11th graders. (Gaither did not have a class of 1985.) In the 1985–86 year (class of 1989), Gaither kept its doors open to 9th graders. The following year in 1986–87, Gaither ceased to include 9th graders and began to only house the 10th–12th grades until 1997, when Gaither reinstated a four-year program. Gaither's graduating class of 1988 was the very first group of students that included all four years.
On January 31, 2009, Gaither High School hosted the seventh annual Snoop Bowl, a youth football game which puts a youth team coached by Snoop Dogg against a youth team coached by an NFL player in conjunction with the Super Bowl, which was in Tampa.<ref>{{cite news|title=Saturday's Best Super Bowl Parties|url=http://www.tampabay.com/features/events/saturdays-best-super-bowl-parties/971558|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102171210/http://www.tampabay.com/features/events/saturdays-best-super-bowl-parties/971558|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 2, 2013|access-date=18 January 2015}}</ref>
Each year, the school hosts a Special Olympics and a Multicultural Assembly. The school's homecoming is called Starlight.
==Athletics== Gaither offers a variety of seasonal sports for student participation. Sports for both boys and girls include cross country, golf, swimming, volleyball, basketball, soccer, tennis and track. Hockey players attending Gaither play for Freedom High School [https://lightninghockeydevelopment.com/lhshl/]. In addition, boys sports include baseball, wrestling and football while girls compete in softball, flag football and competitive cheer. In certain situations girls may compete on boys teams that do not have a comparable girls team; this typically is found in wrestling, and more rarely in football and baseball. Gaither's main rivals are Steinbrenner High School and Sickles High School.
==Demographics== As of 2020, Gaither High School was 44% Hispanic, 37.6% White, 10.4% Black, 3.8% Asian, 3.7% Multi-racial, 0.3% American Indian and 0.1% Pacific Islander.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Search for Public Schools - School Detail for GAITHER HIGH SCHOOL|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?ID=120087002437|access-date=2020-06-23|website=nces.ed.gov|language=EN}}</ref>
==Notable alumni==
{{alumni|date=June 2023}} *Eddie Ababio, Major League Soccer player<ref>{{cite web|title=UNC Men's Soccer Bio|url=http://www.goheels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3350&ATCLID=205676400|access-date=5 October 2015}}</ref> * Adam Bilzerian, winner of the 2009 World Series of Poker<ref>{{cite web | last = Barancik | first = Scott | title = FBI Agents Raid Bilzerian Home | publisher = St. Petersburg Times | date = June 22, 2001 | url = http://www.sptimes.com/News/062201/Business/FBI_agents_raid_Bilze.shtml}}</ref> * Dan Bilzerian, internet personality and professional poker player * Kevin Cash, Major League Baseball catcher and current Tampa Bay Rays manager * Fernando Gonzalez, North American Soccer League player * Jennifer Kesse, missing person * Alex McGough, NFL quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tampabay.com/sports/2018/04/28/seahawks-draft-gaither-high-alumnus-alex-mcgough/|title=Seahawks draft Gaither High alumnus Alex McGough|last=Knight|first=Joey|date=April 28, 2018|work=Tampa Bay Times}}</ref> * Oscar Mercado, baseball player<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tampabay.com/hometeam/blog/gaither-ss-oscar-mercado-accepts-15-million-deal-cardinals/17638/|title=Florida high school sports - Gaither SS Oscar Mercado accepts $1.5 million deal with Cardinals|access-date=March 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729215529/http://www.tampabay.com/hometeam/blog/gaither-ss-oscar-mercado-accepts-15-million-deal-cardinals/17638/|archive-date=July 29, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> * Carlton Mitchell, NFL wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons * Jordan Oladokun, NFL cornerback for the Los Angeles Chargers<ref>{{cite web|title=Football Announces Pair Of Signees To Round Out 2021 Signing Class|url=https://samfordsports.com/news/2021/2/3/football-announces-pair-of-signees-to-round-out-2021-signing-class|website=samfordsports.com|date=February 3, 2021|access-date=July 31, 2025}}</ref> * Amani Oruwariye, NFL cornerback for the Detroit Lions<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nfl.com/prospects/amani-oruwariye?id=32194f52-5549-0506-d45d-e0e76f0f35db|title = Amani Oruwariye Draft and Combine Prospect Profile|website = NFL.com}}</ref> * J.R. Russell, NFL wide receiver * Brittany Snow, actress * Jenn Sterger, sports reporter and model<ref name="Gaither">{{cite news | first = Joshua | last = Gillin | title = Gaither High grad Jenn Sterger ditches her famous implants | date = 2010-11-19 | url = http://www.tampabay.com/features/article1052734.ece | work = St. Petersburg Times | access-date = 2010-12-23 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120705043454/http://www.tampabay.com/features/article1052734.ece | archive-date = 2012-07-05 | url-status = dead }}</ref> * Kaleb Stewart, musician<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.classmates.com/siteui/yearbooks/4182719136 |title=Tradition with a Twist: Silver Star 1993 - Gaither High School Yearbook |date=June 1993 |publisher=Gaither High School |edition=1993 |volume=Nine |location=Tampa, Florida |chapter=Final Traditions: Seniors |type=High school yearbook |access-date=June 24, 2022 |url-access=registration |via=Classmates}}</ref> * Channing Tatum, actor (transferred to and graduated from Tampa Catholic High School) * Jackie Toledo, politician<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tampabay.com/civil-engineer-jackie-toledo-files-for-tampa-city-council-district-6/2171866/ |title=Civil engineer Jackie Toledo files for Tampa City Council District 6 |date=25 March 2015 |access-date=13 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/11/04/jackie-toledo-debra-bellanti-face-off-for-florida-house-district-50-what-you-need-to-know/ |title=Jackie Toledo, Debra Bellanti face off for Florida House District 60: What you need to know |work=Florida Politics |date=5 November 2018 |access-date=1 August 2020}}</ref> * Chad Zerbe, San Francisco Giants relief pitcher * Lydell Ross, NCAA Football National Champion (2002 - Ohio State), NFL Running Back (San Diego Chargers) * Donovan Jennings, NFL offensive guard for the Green Bay Packers * Eugene Wilson III, Florida Gators wide receiver
== References == {{Reflist}} {{reflist|group=Tampa Bay Times}}
==External links== {{commons category}} * [https://hillsboroughschools.org/o/gaither Gaither High website] {{Portal bar|Schools|Florida|Education}}{{Hillsborough County Schools}}
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Category:Educational institutions established in 1984 Category:High schools in Tampa, Florida Category:Public high schools in Florida Category:1984 establishments in Florida